From the Annunciation to Nativity: —What does it mean for me?

In the Gospel of Luke, the Annunciation (1:26-38), we hear the angel Gabriel sent from God proclaim to Mary, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” In this brief yet powerful proclamation we see the Old Testament and the New Testament “hinged” together—the New Testament does not replace the Old but rather it is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. We see in this gospel the desire of all people to seek God and the desire of God to be with His people, come to be in one, singular person: Mary.

Mary—a young Jewish girl, around 14 years old, becomes the Mother of God, “Theotokos” in Greek, or God bearer, and accepts this calling to bring into the world God’s gift of salvation. What made her accept such a calling? What fears might have been in her mind and heart? What gave her the strength to “Be not afraid” as Gabriel asked her? Could any of us handle that calling today? What would our words and thoughts be? How skeptical would we be; what kind of delusions might come to us or what would we think was happening to us what other “answers” would we seek?

Young Mary answered Gabriel with these words: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Why and how could she have been so rooted in her response?

Mary was a young girl of strong faith. Mary was a child born into a home built upon faith which they practiced. She knew who God was and what was commanded of her—and how to make faith a lived experience of life, making it applicable to her life in her local time and place. That gave Mary—and all of us who followed after her—a great “leg-up” as we, like all before us, such the great divine Creator of the world.

Mary is given to us in the Annunciation as the prime example of faith for us to learn from and to follow, in other words: when faced with life-altering decisions, what do we base our choice on. Mary turned to her faith, her belief in the ultimate love of God and for His desire to have her reach her “ultimate good,” which of course is the search for Truth.

In the Nativity—the birth of Christ—we have already been given the greatest gift of all: Eternal Life with the Divine; to live forever in the presence of God and to share in His glory and joy for all eternity; to live without sin or division, without fear and hopelessness, to live in unending peace and happiness. But, and that’s the most important word in the world, to know that the search for His Truth requires something of us in this time-and-place. That “something” is to live our lives out in faith, from the example of Mary, and to know God, to love God and to serve God in this world so that we shall live with Him forever in the world to come. That is the gift of Christmas and like any gift, to receive it we must open it.

Under the Christmas tree or in the stocking might be some amazing gifts this year—from the newest electronic game to keys to your favorite car to a fantastic vacation or an overwhelming bill being paid, or a photo or family memento that means more than anything you could ever imagine. But—there’s that word again—all of those things will break, fade or become outdated at some point and time. The gift of Love, the gift of the Spirit of God, the gift of Eternal Salvation will endure; it will shine brighter that the stars and last longer than any
extended warranty; it will be Eternal and it will be wrapped in and powered by unending joy!

So what does the Annunciation and the Nativity mean for “me”? All that was, is and shall ever be! It means Eternal Life itself. The next time we have to make a tough decision—whether it is about standing up for a principle or defending the right of another; whether it means holding firm to Truth or giving in to convenience or a culturally popular belief, whether it means being authentic—what is truthful—or being someone’s “best buddy” (a parent or a friend? A teacher or a colleague?), we only have to look to Christ and His teachings, His examples. For like Life itself, His Truths are Eternal too.

May this Christmas find beneath your tree or in your stocking, the greatest of all the gifts to come—faith in the only, One, True Salvation of the world: Jesus Christ…and may we all live as if that is truly active in our lives. Merry and Happy Christmas to all!